Tipping in Scotland

Edinburgh During the
Festival

Scotland doesn't have fixed rules for
tipping, something which can make it more difficult for visitors to know how to
respond in different circumstances. There are three scenarios in which the
question of tipping arises in Scotland: in restaurants, in taxis and in very
upmarket hotels. Tipping is not usual in pubs, though especially good service
might be recognised by the offer of a drink, which you then pay for on the
assumption the member of staff will have the drink at a quiet moment or at the
end of their shift.

Some restaurants include a service charge of 10-15% in the bill, in
which case no further tip is needed. If a service charge is not included in the
bill, then it is normal to add a 10-15% tip if the service has been good. If
you are paying the bill by credit card, you should either leave the tip as cash
or, if offered the option, add it onto the bill. Restaurant staff tend to
prefer tips left in cash: restaurant owners tend to prefer them left as credit
card add-ons to the bill.

It is normal in Scotland to give taxi
drivers a tip of about 10%. We've seen it suggested that it's less usual to tip
minicab drivers, the type of taxis that you can only book by phone rather than
find at a taxi rank or flag down in the street: but in practice this is a
fairly subtle distinction for most visitors.

The last area in which the question of tipping arises is in
relation to staff such as porters and waiters in very upmarket hotels,
especially in cities. On the whole, we suspect that if you are in the habit of
using such hotels, you really don't need our advice on how to tip in them!